Choke



Nov. 11, 1941. A. ELLIS 2,262,669

CHOKE Filed Mafoh 13, 1940 2 Shets-Sheet 1 o O #6 5 -66 j wawvfov James59.157115 NOV. 11, 1941. s 2,262,669

CHOKE Filed March 13, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 a6 14 Z; r93 95 5/ gvwem botJhmea Ellis Patented Nov. 11, 1941 CHOKE .lames Albert Ellis, Alice,Tex.

Application March 13, 1940, Serial No. 323,834

2 Claims.

This invention relates to an improved construction of choke for flowlines'for restricting the flow of a fluid and for varying the extent ofthe flow restriction.

More particularly, it is an object'of this invention to provide a flowrestrictor capable of being readily mounted in flow lines through whicha fluid is being forced under pressure for restricting the flow of thefluid and having means .for simply and efiectively varying the amount ofthe flow through the restrictor.

Still another aim of the invention is to provide a flow restrictor orchoke including a coupling member adapted to be readily positioned in aflow line and provided with a fixed valve seat having an orificeextending therethrough and a valve body rotatably mounted in thecoupling and having one end engaging the valve seat, said valve bodyhaving a plurality of passages of various sizes adapted to beselectively positioned to register with said orifice to vary the extentto which the flow through the choke or restrictor and valve body when inone position relatively to each other, and means associated with saidoperator for indicating the position-of the various passages relativelyto the orifice whereby the flow through the choke may be simply andeffectively regulated with the utmost accuracy.

Still another aim of the invention is to provide novel lubricating meansfor efiectively lubricating the rotatable valve body to prevent thevalve body from binding against the bore of the coupling member oragainst the upper surface of the valve seat member due to the pressureof the fluid on the exposed end of the valve body.

Otherobjects and advantages of theinvention will hereinafter become morefully apparent from the following description of the drawings, whichillustrate a preferred embodiment thereof, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the choke or flow restrictor,

Figure 2 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view taken substantiallyalong the plane or the line 22 of Figure 1 with a'portion of the stemshown in elevation,

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially along theplane of the line 3-3 of me 22' Figure 4 is a similar view takensubstantially along the plane of the line 4-4 of Figure 2,

Figure 5'is an enlarged side elevational view of the valve body, showndetached,

Figure 6 is a top plan view of the same,

Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 5 of the valve seat member,

Figure 8 is a top plan view of the same,

Figure 9 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevational view of the lowerportion of the operating st'em, and

Figure 10 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially along theplane of the line l0-l 0 of Figure 9..

Referring more particularly to the drawings, wherein like referencecharacters designate like or corresponding parts throughout thedifferent views, I! designates generally the choke or flowrestrictorwhich includes a coupling or casing l2 provided with a bore,designatedgenerally l3, which extends longitudinally therethrough. The coupling l2at the lower end of the bore B, which is enlarged, as best seen inFigure 2, is internally threaded at M, and intermediate of its ends thecoupling 62 is provided with an internally threaded nipple 15 whichopens outwardly of the member l2 at one end and communicates with thebore lit at its opposite end. The opposite, upper end of the coupling 82is internally threaded at (6 and externally threaded at l'l.

Bore l3, between the point where the nipple l5 communicates therewithand its enlarged lower end is provided with a portion l8 having arestricted lower end l9 forming a beveled seat 20 for the beveled bottomportion 2| of a valve seat member 22 to engage for sealing the spacebetween the periphery of the member'22 and the portion l8 ofthe bore H.Member 22 is provided with an orifice 23 which extends longitudinallytherethrough. Member 22 is provided with a concave or dished uppersurface 24 having a cylindrical recess 25 at the center thereof and arecess 26 which opens outwardly of its periphery. Coupling member I2 isprovided with an internally threaded recess 21 opening outwardly thereofprovided with a restricted internally threaded inner end 28 whichcommunicates with the bore portion I8 and which is adapted to registerwith the recess 26. A key 29 is provided with a threaded portion at itsouter end to engage the threads of the recess portion 28 to position itsinner end in engagement with 1 the recess 26 to thereby key the valveseat member 22 in the bore portion IS. The key 29 is held in place bymeans of a gasket 30 and a threaded plug 3| which are disposed in therecess 21. Plug 3| is sized so that its threads engage the 2' I aaeaceaI section and of substantially the same diameter as the bore portion I8,is rotatably mounted therein above the seat member 22. The valve body 33is provided with a tapered or convex lower end 34 and seats flush on theconvex surface 24 of the seat member 22. End 34 is provided with arestricted, centrally disposed projecting shank 35 to engage the recess25. As best seen in Figures2 and 6, the valve body 33 having a recess 58for receiving a spanner wrench,

is provided with a plurality of spaced passages 36 of various sizes,each of which extends longitudinally through the valve body 33. Passages36 are all equallyspaced from the axis of the valve body 33 and theorifice 23 is similarly spaced from the axis of the seat member 22 sothat each of the passages 36 will register with the orifice 23 when thevalve body 33 is revolved, for a purpose which will hereinafter becomeapparent. The largest passage 36 is of the same diameter or slightlysmaller than the rorifice 23. The valve body 33 is provided with aspiral lubricating groove 31 in its periphery, the lower end of whichextends into the surface 34, as best seen in Figure 5. Coupling memberI2 is provided with a port 38 which opens into the bore portion I8 andwhich is, provided with an enlarged internally threaded outer end 39which opens outwardly of the coupling I2. A lubricating wick 49 ismounted in th inner end of the bore 38 and is held in engagement withthe periphery of the 'valve body 33 by a spring pressed follower 4|which abuts against the threaded plug 42 mounted in the portion 39 forfurnishing a lubricant to the periphery of the valve body 33 andparticularly to the lubricating groove 31 by means of which thelubricant is distributed to different portions of the periphery and tothe bearing surfaces 24 and 34. Adjacent the upper end of the boreportion I8 an annular recess 43 is formed in the coupling member I2 andopens into the bore portion I8 to receive a sealing ring 44 which bearsagainst the periphery of the valve body 33 to seal the clearance spacebetween the valve body and bore portion I8. 'In order to moreeffectively prevent the passage of a fluid downwardly between the boreportion I8 and valve body 33, the upper edge of the sealing ring 44 isprovided with a V-shaped annular notch '45 to receive any fluid passingdownwardly therebetween which fluid will tend I to expand the upperportion of the ring 44 to more effectively form the seal.

Referring particularly to Figure 6, the upper so is provided with arestricted circular portion 5| which engages the recess portion 41.

Bore portion 49 is restricted at its lower end to form an annulartapered shoulder 52 on which is seated the lower end of a packing 53 ofa stuffing box- 54. Packing 53 comprises a plurality of superposed rings55, the intermediate rings thereof being chevron shaped in crosssection, as best seen in Figure 2. A gland nut 56 is provided with anexternally threaded shank for engaging the threads I6 of the boreportion 49 to compress the packing 53 against the shoulder 52. Gland nut56 is provided with an enlarged head 51 or other tool, not shown,for'turning the nut 56. The intermediate portion of the stem 48 isjournaled in the bore 59 of the nut 56 and'in the packing 53.

Stem 48, at its upper end, is provided with a restricted portion, 69forming anannular beveled shoulder 6| therebeneath having a polygonalshaped portion 62 at its free end for receiving a wrench or other tool,not shown, for turning the stem 48 to turn the valve body 33. A socketnut 63 is internally threaded at its lower end to engage the threads I1and is' proyided with an opening 64 in its head. in which is journaledthe lower part of portion 68. Opening64 is provided with a beveled lowerend 65 which bears against the shoulder 6| so that when thesocketmember- 63 is rotated in a direction to draw it inwardly of thecoupling I2 it will force the stem 48 downwardly to move the surface 34of the valve body 33 into flush abutting engagement with the surface 24of the valve seat member 22. Socket member 63 adjacent its upper end isprovided with circumferentially spaced openings 66 by means of which atool may be'inser'ted to engage the recess 58 for turning the gland nut56.

Above the socket member 63, stem portion 69 is provided withcalibrations 61 including circum ferentially spaced markings eacholfmipich is proend of the valve body 33 is provided with a polygonalshaped recess 46 provided with a re- 1 stricted cylindricalrecess 41 atthe bottom thereof. As best seen in Figure 2, a stem 48 extends valvebody 33 and stem 48 are in one certain pos'itionrelatively to eachother, for a purpose vided with indicia for indicating t a passage 36.The distance between said markings is equal to the distance between the'passages 36. A pointer 68 is secured at one end by means of thefastenings 69' to the intermediate portion of the coupling member I2 andhas its opposite free end 10, which is preferably pointed, disposedadjacent to the calibrations 61 so that the spacedmarkings thereon canbe selectively alined with the end III of the pointer. The indicia andmarkings forming the calibrations 61 are so arranged relatively to thepassages 36 that when a marking containing indicia indicating anycertain size is alined with the end 10 the passage 36 of the sizecorresponding to that indicia will be in alinement with the'orifice 23.7

From the foregoing it will be seen that. the choke or flow resistor IImay be readily mounted in a flow line, through which a fluid is beingforced under pressure by connecting one section ofthe flow line to thenipple I5 and an adjacent section thereof to the nipple I4 with thenipple I5 being disposed adjacent the source of the flow and the nippleI4 adjacent its outlet end. The fluid under pressure will enter thecoupling l2, through nipple I5 to create a pressure in the intermediateportion of the bore I3. The fluid will be prevented from passingupwardly through the bore I3 by the stufling box 54 and which, when thenut 56 thereof is tightened will seal the space diameter of between-thebore portion 49 and the intermediate portion of the stem 48. which willhereinafter become apparent. Shank the sealing ring 44 will prevent thefluid from As heretofore explained,

passing downwardly between the valve body 33 and the bore portion I 8 sothat the only escape for the fluid is through the passage 36, which isalined with the orifice 23, through the orifice 23 and into the sectionof the flow line connected to the threaded end M of the coupling l2. Thepassages 35 not alined with the orifice 23 will be sealed at their lowerends by the engagement of the surface 34 with the surface 24, whichparts are held in tight sealing engagement, as heretofore explained, bytightening the socket member 53 to force stem 48,and valve body 33downwardly. It will thus be seen that the flow is restricted by thechoke I l to reduce the pressure in the pipe line, not shown, betweenthe coupling 12 and its discharge end relatively to the pressure in itsopposite end. By turning the stem 48, as heretofore explained, passagesof different sizw may be alined with the orifice 23 to therebyselectively vary the extent of flow through the choke II and the extentof pressure in the outlet end A lubricating wick 40 functionof the flowline. ing in conjunction with the lubricating groove 31 will prevent thefluid pressure on the upper end nally therethrough and a nippleopeninglaterally of said bore, intermediate of its ends, said connectionhaving a high pressure chamber communicating with the nipple anddisposed intermediate of the ends of the bore, a plug mounted in saidbore adjacent its lower end, means for keying said plug in said b'ore,said plug being provided with a single orifice extending therethrough, avalve body mounted in the lower end of said bore and having one endseated on the 'upper end of said plug, the opposite end of the valvebody extending to and forming a part of the wall of said high pressurechamber, means, communicating with the high pressure chamber of thedevice, for sealing the space between said bore and valve body, saidvalve body being provided with a plurality of passages of varying sizes.

means extending through the upper end of said bore and keyed to saidvalve body for turning said valve body to bring the various passagesthereof into registry with an orifice in said plug, sealing meansdisposed in the upper end of said bore to engage said turning means forsealing the upper end of the bore, the periphery of said valve body beinprovided with-a spiral groove extending into its bottom surface, a portin said connection opening into the lower portion of said bore, and alubricating wick mounted in said port for engaging the periphery of thevalve body forengaging another section of the flow line adjacent theinlet end thereof, for mounting the couplin therein, a valve seatmember, having an orifice extending therethrough, mounted in said bore,adjacent its lower end, an elongated valve body, circular in crosssection, mounted in the lower end of said bore to seat on the upper endof said valve seat member, between the valve seat member and nipple,said valve body being provided with a plurality of passages of varioussizes extending longitudinally therethrough, said coupling member havinga high pressure chamber,

. intermediate of the ends of the bore, communicating with the nippleand of which the upper end of the valve body forms a wall portion, astem extendin through the upper portion of said bore, a stufling box inthe upper portion of said bore and in which said stem is rotatablymounted for sealing the upper end of the bore, means for detachablykeying said stem to said valve body when the parts are in a certainpredetermined position relatively to each other, a port formed 'in thelower portion of said coupling and communicating with said bore, saidvalve body being provided with a spiral groove formed in its peripheryand extending into its bottom surface, and a. spring pressed lubricatingwick detachably mounted in said port and contacting the periphery of thevalve body for furnishing a lubricant to saidspiral'groove.

JAMES 'ALBERT ELLIS.

